Beyond Infinity (After Infinite)
by Ultimate Inuyasha Sonic Fan
Summary: Infinite's last heard words were, "I can still fight!" However, seconds after saying that, he was flung out of sight by what we can only assume to be something of Eggman's. Not into Null Space, surely. Supposedly, he'd taken Infinite back to his base for some reason or another. Everything goes back to normal for Sonic and friends…but what about Infinite?
1. Trapped

Infinite opened his eyes to see light gray everywhere. His vision was blurry, unfocused. It irritated him. A low growl raised from his chest, and he glanced around, blinking in an attempt to see better. He still had his mask on, he realized.

 _The last thing I remember is that fool Eggman forcing me away from those "rebels," as they called themselves..._ He groaned and looked down, gasping quietly. _The Phantom Ruby! It's gone!_ He tried to reach a hand up to feel the space in front of him...but couldn't. His hands were restrained, which he only now noticed. _I must be back at his base... That's where he sent me..._

"Oh, Infinite!" came a loud call. The voice was light. Almost too light. A teasing tone laced the jackal's name when spoken by this voice, and it made Infinite freeze.

Looking up, Infinite saw Dr. Eggman, in all of his furious "glory," standing by the entrance of the strange room he was in. Though the jackal's vision was blurry, he could sense the anger vibrating from the man as he grew nearer. In his newly weakened state, and without the Phantom Ruby to help, Infinite found himself struggling not to shy away from his former partner in crime. His ears flattened as Eggman spoke again, now not even bothering to hide his fury behind a silky (yet transparent) curtain of amusement.

"I thought we actually had him this time!" the man yelled, glaring over at Infinite. The jackal was restrained in a tube, much like any other that Metal Sonic would be held in, or any other of Eggman's creations when not being used. The glass of the tube cracked slightly when Eggman angrily pounded a fist on it, making Infinite flinch slightly (but not without sending a glare at the round man). "You held back, didn't you?! You had the Phantom Ruby with you! You should have been unstoppable! If you didn't hold back on those rodents, we would have the world on our side! You ignorant fool!"

Infinite didn't waste a second retaliating. "I didn't hold back. I did everything in my power to stop them. It was your poor planning that sent us to our own defeat!"

Eggman laughed at this, shaking his head as he turned away. "That isn't it at all. I had everything together. You're the one who messed up. And now, because of that, you're useless to me."

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had the chance to take over the world. Without me, you would have just been beaten again. I kept that blue pest out of your way for months!" Infinite spat, now pulling forward and against his restraints.

Eggman turned to face him with a frown. "But that wasn't enough, was it?" he asked quietly.

"Perhaps not. You were too weak to do what you needed to do in enough time," Infinite replied, his tone mirroring Eggman's.

"ME?! _You're_ the weak one, Infinite! Or should I say, Zero?"

Infinite froze, then began glaring at Eggman, silently wishing horrible things upon the man. "It's 'Infinite' to you," he retorted, quietly yet spitefully all the same.

Eggman rolled his eyes. "That's a name for someone whose power is just that. Infinite. You couldn't even hold Sonic."

"Actually, unlike for you, it was a simple task for me. I held him for months. You are never even able to capture him. Without me, you're nothing," Infinite spat.

"Au contraire, my friend," Eggman chuckled. "I'm not nothing. I have my strengths and weaknesses."

 _So disgustingly full of yourself,_ Infinite thought with contempt. _How pathetic._ Deciding to challenge the man on his words, he huffed. "Then fight me," he offered.

Eggman turned to face him with surprise. "What? _Fight_ you? You don't even have the Phantom Ruby anymore...in case you didn't notice," Eggman told him with a sly grin. But Infinite only nodded slowly, continuing to stare at him darkly. Eggman raised his eyebrows slightly. "And you don't care?"

"I don't need the Phantom Ruby to beat _you_ ," the jackal mused. "You alone are weak."

"Right..." Eggman walked to a nearby control panel and pressed a few buttons. Within seconds, the restraints on Infinite's wrists loosened, then released him altogether.

Seeing this, Infinite sighed with relief and brought his hands to his chest, rubbing his wrists before continuing to glare up at his captor. He looked down slightly, eyeing the glass that now acted as the only thing holding him back from attacking Eggman. However, the man didn't seem at all inclined to free him from that. Still waiting, Infinite looked up expectantly at the man, but his gaze was only met with a smug glare.

"You don't honestly expect me to free you right now, do you?" Eggman taunted. He placed his hands on his hips and chuckled. "You aren't going anywhere while I'm around."

Infinite growled and pounded against the glass with his fist, making Eggman jump back a bit with fright. He began to grow nervous, but decided not to let it show as he walked slowly over to the captured jackal and teasingly rapped on the glass with his knuckles. "Try as you might, you can't get out. Don't exhaust yourself trying. I still need your energy." He stepped to the side slightly and gestured behind himself.

Just past Eggman was a small collection of robots, all empty metal shells at the moment but all appearing to have a similar countenance to a variety of Mobian species. One in particular looked like a jackal...

Infinite lowered his head and sighed quietly. "I will not be held captive by the likes of you," he mumbled.

Eggman stepped closer, only able to hear a trace of the other's voice. "What was that?" Without warning, Infinite leapt out, shattering the glass with a tight fist, and sent the doctor stumbling backwards. Bumping against the control panel, Eggman looked up with wide eyes at Infinite, who now stood before him, hands balled into fists at his sides. "What- how did you- How?!" he demanded, stepping forward. Despite his angry demeanor, he was more frightened than anything. He knew that, even without the help of the Phantom Ruby, Infinite was capable of dealing great damage, both to Eggman and to said man's property. Quickly turning, he looked to a near door, and shouted for help as quickly as he could. "Metal Sonic!"

Within seconds, the robot duplicate of Sonic flew out, hardly even waiting for the door to slide fully open before dashing into the room. He quickly took a position in a defensive stance between Eggman and the offending jackal that stood before him.

Eggman took this opportunity to step away slowly. "Make sure he doesn't get out of here alive," he commanded the robot. Metal's response was a curt nod, but his LED eyes never averted their intense gaze from Infinite, who returned the favor of full attention.

Before anything else happened, Eggman darted out of the room, the door closing and locking behind his fleeing silhouette and sealing Infinite inside the room with Metal Sonic.

Bracing himself, Infinite lunged toward Metal Sonic and grabbed onto the robot's shoulders, firmly hanging on even as he was spun around. He drove his knee into his opponent's midsection in the hopes of destroying the laser cannon which rested there.

Metal Sonic quickly retaliated by grabbing Infinite's waist and throwing him off, now realizing that he was already taking damage. Infinite may have been weakened, but his anger was driving him through this fight...perhaps even toward the winning side of it. Deciding not to have any of this, Metal flew down and slashed at the jackal's face. As Infinite ducked down, Metal missed his original target, but did catch an arm and succeeded in drawing blood.

...Much to Infinite's dismay. The disgruntled jackal quickly turned and backed up against the wall, his chest rising and falling quickly as he tried to catch his breath. Having gone months with being able to rely on the power of the Phantom Ruby, he wasn't used to the feeling of having to stand on his own two feet anymore...let alone fight his own battles. It had only been around two hours since he was sent back here after losing to Sonic and the Resistance, so he didn't even have time to regain his own strength, admittedly. Frustrated and beginning to feel discouraged, Infinite turned and ran for the door. He would have to formulate a plan of revenge later on. Right now, he needed to escape this base before he was roboticized.

Right as he reached the door, Infinite was grabbed from behind and thrown backwards. Sharp pain jolted through his body as he hit the floor and slid on his side a few feet before rolling to a stop on his back. Glancing over, he saw Metal Sonic flying over to him, hands outstretched. He quickly pushed himself to his feet and sidestepped the robot, ears flattening as he found himself cornered. He looked around the room for something to use, and found nothing loose on the floor. He took a deep breath and ran over to the control panel, keeping an eye on Metal as he moved. "Come and get me!" he taunted. His opponent silently flew toward him, but this time Infinite was ready. He leapt up onto the control panel and grabbed Metal's arm, spinning around twice before releasing the robot — straight down into the control panel, face first. Stepping to the edge, Infinite leapt off of the panel, flipping in the air before landing on his feet. Turning back, he saw Metal Sonic twitching, electricity flowing freely in the air surrounding him. Slowly, the robot stood up once more, some cracks now visible along his face and on his eyes, and began to charge up some sort of weapon.

Looking at the door, Infinite saw that he now had a narrow chance of escape; quite literally. The door was about one-quarter of the way open. It may have been just enough to squeeze through. He made a dash for it.

A sudden impact on his side sent Infinite flying. Another impact on his other side stopped him immediately, this one from the wall. A deafening cracking sound filled the weak jackal's ears, but he did his best to ignore it, fearing only the worst. He fell to the ground with a groan and squeezed his eyes shut, curling up slightly. Hearing something fall to the ground beside him made his ears perk up. He slowly opened his eyes and looked over to see what it was. Slight surprise hit him quickly as he saw his mask on the ground before him, laying in pieces scattered lightly on the ground. An overwhelming amount of light greeted his right eye, which he instinctively covered with a groan. He then pushed himself up to a sitting position, hand still over his eye, and looked over at Metal Sonic. The robot was occupied currently, attempting to fix the control panel while Infinite was supposedly knocked unconscious. He sat up lightly, then stood. Slowly. Cautiously.

Looking up, Infinite saw blood on the wall where he'd hit it, as well as some on the glass of the tube he was in just minutes ago. He suppressed a shudder and quickly got on his hands and knees, crawling out of the room, hoping to escape Metal Sonic's detection.

Infinite was now in a dark hallway, dimly lit with lights lining the walls but placed every thirty feet or so. After examining his body for any major injuries and finding none, he steadily walked another few feet from the door before breaking into a full sprint. Giving his weakened state, it was probably at the speed of a light jog for most, but it was all he could do for now, so it was exactly what he did. He may have been prideful, and perhaps a little egotistic, but he recognized his limits; especially now that he was without the Phantom Ruby.

He didn't care how long it took, or how many detours he had to take. Infinite was going to get himself out of this base, no matter what. He planned on taking some serious revenge on Eggman...but for now, he had to get out and ensure he would live to be able to do so.


	2. The Price of Freedom

Infinite stopped short when he heard an alarm sounding. Red lights flashed up and down the hallways. Doors closed all around him, and he couldn't break them open for anything. Panic began to set in. He began running faster, doing his best to beat the lockdown to the door at the end of the hallway. He reached the final door, and brought up a hand to push the door open.

Straight ahead, he heard crashes, the sounds drowned out by the alarms every few seconds. An angry yell from a familiar voice made Infinite smirk slightly. "Eggman... It seems you have your hands full," he mumbled. "I'll leave you to that." He began to push the door up, but froze at the sight he was greeted with.

Sonic smashed countless robots in seconds, then landed not too far from where Infinite stood. Hands on his hips, the blue blur beamed up at Eggman, who was out of Infinite's sight. "So, where are the captives, Egghead?"

"There are no captives!" Eggman shouted angrily.

"Surely _something_ tripped your alarm," Sonic pressed. "You just wanted to stay in here by yourself?" A laser was fired at him, but he leapt up and dodged it with ease.

"So what if I did or didn't do it?! Get out!" Eggman spat.

Infinite stepped back, suppressing a growl. _What is_ he _doing here?! Did Eggman not even injure him in their battle?!_ he wondered, frowning. He stepped to the side and hid behind a wall, ears lowering. _Whatever the reason is...I can't leave until he's out of here. I can't fight right now._

The door beside Infinite suddenly seemed to explode, fragments of it flying in all directions. A blue streak of light flew by and down the hallway. Seeing this, Infinite crouched down and tried to be as small and unnoticeable as possible. Eggman flew out right after Sonic, but thankfully neither of the two seemed to notice the jackal huddled in a corner, desperately trying to avoid any and all attention. Once they were both a good distance down the hallway, he got up and ran into the room his two foes were just in. He looked around for a way out, but it seemed like just another room with a bunch of useless technology he had no idea how to use. He stomped a foot on the ground and let out a yell of frustration that was drowned out due to the alarms still blaring. "How do you get out of this maze?!" he demanded, speaking to nobody in particular as his voice echoed shortly through the room.

Seconds later, silence fell over the base, the pitch of the alarms lowering until they made no more sound. Infinite looked back to the doorless entrance of the room, starting over to head back out, but stopped in his tracks and gasped. "Not you again..."

Metal Sonic hovered in the doorway, eyes flashing dangerously. No sound came from the robot as he approached Infinite, who stepped back.

"Hey, Metal Sonic! Why don't you fight me instead?" called a teasing voice from behind the robot. Metal Sonic quickly turned around, and for a split second, Infinite could see exactly who it was that said that.

 _I knew it... Why can't he go and mind his own business?!_ Infinite thought with a huff. His eyes then widened. _Where did he leave Eggman?_ Stepping back, the jackal looked around wildly, partially hoping he would come back to distract Sonic, yet partially hoping he wouldn't. Unfortunately, he saw nothing of the sort, and soon realized that the real story was quite the opposite. It was only when his eyes rested on Eggman, who hovered just feet behind Sonic, that he decided he wished the villainous man _wasn't_ there. _I can't trust any of these idiots to do their jobs!_ Growling, Infinite stepped out from behind Metal Sonic, revealing himself to the true blue blur.

"Oh! So there is someone else here! Man, you really must like using jackals as your minions." Sonic chuckled, turning to Eggman. He opened his mouth to say more, but was quickly knocked aside by Metal Sonic, who didn't care for pre-battle communication. Falling onto his side with a grunt, Sonic looked back at Metal Sonic. He smirked and quickly leapt to his feet, surprisingly unaffected by the attack. He silently positioned himself to perform a counterattack on his robotic duplicate, and soon did with great agility. Metal Sonic quickly mirrored him, and the two clashed in the center of the room. The sound of metal clanging echoed throughout the room.

Slight movement in the corner of his eye drew Infinite's attention away from the brawl of blue before him, and he looked over only to see a laser heading his way. Before he could move, he was grabbed and gently lifted up before being set down seconds later. He hadn't even realized what had happened until Sonic's face appeared before him.

"You'd better stay hidden for now," the hedgehog warned him with a soft smile. "I'll getcha outta here as soon as I'm done with these two." He then turned and leapt away, back down to Metal Sonic and Dr. Eggman. He continued his fight with Metal, but now kept a close eye on Eggman.

Infinite stepped back, silent. _Why is he helping me? Does he not recognize me?_ he wondered. _That must be it._ He frowned and watched the battle below, arms now crossed over his chest. _That's right... He's only ever seen me with that mask on. It's his companion Shadow that's seen me without it. I guess I should count myself lucky he isn't here right now._ Glancing around, he continued looking for an exit. Much to his dismay, the only exit in sight was blocked by Eggman. _...I don't have a choice. I have to use Sonic to get out of here,_ he decided with a slight nod. He ran back to where Sonic continued to fight Metal Sonic, looking around the room. Still, nothing he could use as a weapon could be seen on the floor. Deciding to improvise, the tired jackal ran to the doorway and grabbed some of the larger debris before running back. He clutched the pieces of thick metal in his hands tightly and ran at Metal Sonic, raising his hands up and preparing to bring them down onto the robot along with the metal debris. With Sonic in his sight, he realized he could hit the hedgehog if he wasn't careful. Luckily for him, he still disliked Sonic, so he made no effort to hold back or warn the blue hero as he quickly brought down metal upon metal.

Sonic leapt away just in time, causing Infinite to curse under his breath, but not even a second later, a loud bang could be heard, followed by some strange cracking. Infinite stepped back and raised his hands to deliver another blow to the robot, but fell still when he saw the damage he'd done. Cracks ran throughout Metal Sonic's face, and his chest plate was now shattered. A smirk formed on the jackal's face as he took in the effects of his own strength, despite being weakened.

"No! You were supposed to keep them trapped in here, not let them beat you!" Sonic and Infinite both turned around to see a raging Eggman. "Do I have to do everything myself?!"

Sonic turned to Infinite. "Hey! Let's get outta here!" he said, waving the jackal over. Silently, Infinite dropped the metal doorpiece he held and ran over to him, knowing that following the annoying hero was his only way out of this forsaken base of Eggman's. Sonic quickly grabbed Infinite's wrist and hurried out of the room, cautious to go slow so as not to hurt the other while also keeping a pace capable of escaping Eggman.

Eyes wide, Infinite followed him, glancing back every so often to see if Eggman was following them. Sure enough, he was. However, Sonic didn't seem deterred at all. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying the chase. "Take your time, really!" he called to Eggman. "I have all day!"

This made Infinite rethink his plan. _If you don't get me out of here soon, I'll have no use for you,_ he thought with a scowl. _How does he always win when he's so cocky and proud?_ His focus was quickly brought back to the escape as he was yanked aside, letting out a short grunt, and being led down a narrower, darker hallway.

"Sorry about that," Sonic chuckled, his hand still holding Infinite's wrist. He glanced back at Infinite, still smiling. "Anyway, I know Eggman kinda seems like a scary guy, but trust me when I say he really isn't all that bad. It's his robots and other minions that you have to watch out for. I don't know why, but lately it seems like he's interested in taking jackals and using their strength. Everything that happened in the last few months only happened because he had help from a guy named Infinite." He paused and then looked back at the jackal running just behind him. "Say, what's your name, anyway?"

Infinite just glared at him before looking away, not wanting to tell him for fear of...well, many things. Being left behind in the base, being taken back to wherever Sonic stayed and being held hostage there; the list went on.

"Not a talker?" Sonic pressed, then chuckled. "That's fine. I'll get you out of here, don't worry." He continued running, looking ahead with a confident smirk. "The lockdown got reversed, so it'll be easier to leave now." As they approached a wall, he glanced around. "Alright, we're almost there!"

Infinite just glared at the hedgehog in front of him, silently bracing his arm for another yank. It came, and he exhaled sharply. Right after that happened, though, Infinite felt the warmth leave his wrist as Sonic released him. He kept an eye on the hedgehog as they continued running, half-expecting to be left behind now, but nothing could prepare him for the bright light that met his eyes mere seconds after Sonic curled into a ball of bright blue and smashed through the wall. Infinite stumbled for just a moment before rubbing his eyes and gasping at the sight. _We're actually out!_ he thought, incredulous. Looking to the side, he saw Sonic running beside him, but quickly formed a new plan as they headed straight for the forest that stood just a quarter mile outside the base.

Once they reached the outskirts of the forest, Infinite pushed Sonic aside and dove into the thick foliage, tumbling on the ground for a few feet before bumping into a tree. He sat up and shook his head to clear his mind of the daze he was greeted by from the sudden impact against the large trunk before him, then curled up on the ground, still in the dense bush that surrounded the tree. The sound of footsteps nearby told him that Sonic was still there, most likely now looking for him. Infinite slowed his breath and remained still, ears perked slightly. _Now leave,_ he pleaded silently. _I have to get somewhere safe again, and you standing around isn't necessary anymore._

Sonic's voice sounded, now even closer than the footsteps were just moments ago. "Hey... Where'd you go?" the confused hedgehog called. "It isn't safe here!"

 _You think I don't know that?!_ Infinite retorted, still silent.

What was truly around ten to fifteen minutes felt like an hour as Infinite waited Sonic out. Finally, the hedgehog let out a sigh that could be heard from where Infinite crouched. "I'm gonna go now... I guess you probably live out here or something. If you need anything, my buddies and I are usually staying in the city hall just a few miles down by Metropolis. I wouldn't stick around here if I were you... Eggman seems pretty determined to stay up and kicking right now. Good luck to you," he sighed. A quick 'whoosh' sounded in Infinite's ears, the leaves of his current hiding bush rustling lightly, as Sonic dashed off, finally leaving Infinite to himself.

The dazed jackal slowly stood, glancing around and allowing his eyes to adjust to the difference in setting. "Finally...Alone at last," he breathed. He leaned against the tree and let out a heavy sigh, his mind whirling with thoughts. He forced himself to relax for now, though, and turned to walk away, his back now facing Eggman's base as well as the supposed direction of Metropolis. _I need to go and get my act together before I even think of going out and risking it all again. Then again..._ He stopped and turned to glance back at the base, eyelids lowering ever so slightly. _My squad, the Phantom Ruby... Even that mask that kept my face hidden from the world..._

 _I have nothing to lose anymore._


End file.
